I just got my kobo and plugged it into my computer so its time for the questions to start. The instructions say that you have a blue light if it is charged and a red light when it is charging. What if you have both a red light and a blue light lit up. I'm anxious to get using it in case you can't tell.

I'm pretty new to both the Kobo and these forums ... but I do know about the charging.

There should be only one light ... but sometimes, it looks "purple" ... or a combination of red and blue. Consider it red ... until it turns completely blue.

When I first plugged my brand new Kobo in [about 10 days ago] ... the message on the Kobo said that initial charging could take up to 3 hours ... but mine was fully charged about an hour later ... maybe an hour and a half.

You'll enjoy the Kobo ... or at least I do. It's not the Cadillac of ereaders ... but then it doesn't cost what the Cadillac of ereaders would cost.

I've surprised myself with how much I have enjoyed reading books on the Kobo ...

My experience with charging the Kobo is that a FULL charge from a completely run down battery takes about 3 hours. If the battery is not completely empty then the charge time is correspondingly shorter. Most brand new Kobos seem to come half charged.

When your battery is very low then the light on your Kobo will be red when you first start to charge it. When it is almost charged the blue light comes on as well. Some people see this as a violet light while others see both a red and blue light. Not sure whether it is different on different Kobos or just how some people see it. I see two lights.

When it is fully charged the red light disappears and you are left with a blue light and a fully charged Kobo.

If you are impatient to read then once you get to the red/blue/violet stage you can probably stop charging and start reading but your Kobo won't be fully charged but sometimes you just need to read NOW! If you choose this option you will need to charge again sooner obviously.

Thanks for the help. Turns out that my Kobo was pretty much useless right out of the box. I was able to sorta use it for 15 min before it froze up totally. Talked to Kobo the next morning and they are sending me a pre-paid box to return it in and sending me a new one.

I really want the Kobo and I appreciate the prompt return with no questions asked so I'm giving it a second chance.

I also really like the black and the feel of the book in the brief time I used to. Hopefully soon I will get my new, new reader.

If it froze up, did you try pressing the reset button with a paperclip? Most of the freezing issues can be fixed with this.
Also, if you just got it, you can typically return it to the store you bought it from for an over-the-counter exchange, this would save you some time if you bought it locally.

As for the charging light, purple is as good as red for all intents and purposes, except I think purple also indicates it is charging at a slower rate. When mine lights up red it will charge in about 2-3 hours, but when it lights up purple it can take 12 hours or more.

I just got my kobo and plugged it into my computer so its time for the questions to start. The instructions say that you have a blue light if it is charged and a red light when it is charging. What if you have both a red light and a blue light lit up. I'm anxious to get using it in case you can't tell.

tenne

I'm wondering if you got a Kobo with the original, non-updated firmware, because with the new firmware you get a message saying that if the light is "red/violet" it still needs charging. For me, sometimes the light is red red, and sometimes it's red+blue=purple ("violet," I guess) when I plug it in.

I have to post that Kobo customer support was awesome. I sent my Kobo back Tuesday August 17 and I just got my new one back today (August 20). The new one works just great and I will have it for my holidays. I never expected to get it back in time because we leave on Sunday.

I got a new Kobo eReader Touch for Christmas. Tried to get it going yesterday but have had no luck so far. The screen says to charge my eReader. Tried the computer and the AC outlet but no luck - can't tell if it's charged even as there is no light. Have been trying to charge it for the last 24 hours. Have tried re-set but again no luck. I followed the instructions provided. Getting really frustrated with it.

You're not the only one who's had a problem with the micro-USB port not working. We got two for Christmas and both had problems with the USB port. Both were returned and my replacement still has USB problems, see the following thread:

My wife hasn't complained to me about her replacement yet but she has only connected once to download her collection. I'm going to be taking a good look at it over the weekend!

So far Kobo Tier 1 has been useless. This morning I spent 30 minutes on the phone with someone trying to tell me that the reason the USB craps out after one connection is because of Adobe DRM, even though the books in question are DRM free! (News downloads via Calibre and free books from the excellent www.baen.com)

I think there are some serious hardware problems with at least some of the current versions of the Kobo Touch!